It's the End of the World As We Know It
by sparkin
Summary: At Severus and Harry’s wedding, Severus reflects on their tumultuous nature of their relationship from the time Harry first started as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. HPSS Slash
1. If I Could Turn Back Time

**Disclaimer**: JK Rowling is the master of the universe and I bow down before her infinite wisdom. She and Warner Bros. own everything. All I own is my pride (and that's open to negotiation.)

**Pairings**: Harry/Severus and some others are mentioned

**Summary**: At Severus and Harry's wedding, Severus reflects on their tumultuous nature of their relationship from the time Harry first started as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. HP/SS Slash

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Rating**: R (for future chapters)

**Spoilers**: All five books

**Warning**: This is a Snarry fan fic and is therefore, SLASH. If you don't like slash, feel free not to read any further.

**Chapter 1 -- If I Could Turn Back Time**

_I never thought this would happen_, thought Severus Snape. _Who would have thought that I would be getting married? And to Harry Potter of all people!_

He was unexpectedly feeling very nervous. In a matter of minutes he and Harry would be joined for all time. Suddenly he wasn't completely sure that he was ready for such a large step. _Stop it Snape,_ he mentally admonished. _You know quite well that with or without this formality you and Harry will be together... and if not, there's always divorce! _Severus winced at the last part of his thoughts. He truly didn't think that they would ever get a divorce, but he was trying to alleviate some of the anxiety that was threatening to overwhelm him.

Almost against his will, and definitely against his better judgement, he took a quick look at the exit behind the altar. _It's just good sense to know where the exits are...in case of an emergency_, he reasoned. _Yeah, an emergency, like the uncontrollable urge to make a run for it_, he thought weakly.

Severus heard a hush fall over the crowd and looked back. What he saw took his breath away. Harry was standing on the other side of the room and he looked stunning. His jet-black robes were perfectly tailored showing off the the younger man's athletic physique. The robes had white lace accents at the throat and cuffs. The lace softened the look, as if to remind anyone who saw him that this was most definitely a wedding and not a funeral. On another man the white lace would have looked silly and effeminate, but Harry was the very picture of masculine beauty. _Or at least_, Severus amended, _he's my picture of masculine beauty._

Severus looked down at his own forest-green robes and couldn't help noting the irony: for once, he was the one wearing colour, while Harry wore black. He had decided to wear green to please Harry. Harry always said it was his best colour. _What do you want to bet that Harry wore black to please me? _While Severus mentally shook his head at their sentimentality, he couldn't deny the feeling of warmth that spread through him at the thought.

The wedding was a small affair; the guests were mainly the staff at Hogwarts and a few close friends. Severus couldn't help smirking when he saw that the Weasley clan made up half of the guests. Ron Weasley was sitting with his wife, Hermione, and their 4 year old daughter, Ginny. Seeing her always brought a mix of emotions.The girl was a nice enough girl (_as far as children go_), but seeing her always made him think of her name sake. Ginny's namesake wasn't present. She had fallen in the final battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Next to them were Fred and George Weasley. Self-proclaimed bachelors, the two vowed never to settle down. Privately, Severus thought this may have had more to do with women getting tired of their antics after time, than any choice the twins had made. Behind them were Molly and Arthur Weasley along with Percy Weasley and his girlfriend, Penelope. Bill and Charlie Weasley were behind them, each with their respective dates.

On the other side of the aisle sat Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey as well as Filius Flitwick and Pomora Sprout. Sibyll Trelawney was behind them staring off into space. Next to her was Kingsley Shacklebot. Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, who had caused few raised eyebrows and quickly hidden smiles when they arrived together, were seated next to him. Seated just behind them was the couple very few people understood, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. And finally, sulking next to Luna was Hagrid. Hagrid was upset that he had to sit in the back, but no one could see around him if he sat in the front.

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, Severus was relieved to see that Oliver Wood hadn't accepted the invitation. It wasn't that he was jealous of Harry's past relationship with the Quidditch Player (_Certainly not!_) but all the same he was thankful that Oliver hadn't come. The minister presiding over the ceremony was Albus Dumbledore. _Who else?_ Severus thought wryly.

Harry reached the altar with a small smile playing on his lips when he looked at Severus' green robes. Evidently he had come to the same conclusion as Severus: their choice of colours had been for the benefit of the other person.

"Mawidge. Mawidge is what bwings us togevvah today..."

Severus broke from Harry's gaze, startled. He knew this speech by heart. This was the speech at the wedding ceremony of Prince Humperdinck and Princess Buttercup in **The Princess Bride**, by S. Morgenstern. The muggle book was a favourite of Severus'. A closely guarded secret of his that only one other person knew. Harry. Harry, whose eyes were now darting back and forth between Severus and Albus with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. The guests were whispering confusedly amongst themselves about Albus' affected lisp, but no one seemed to recognize the speech's origins. _Thank Merlin for small miracles._

"...mawidge, vat bwessed awangement, vat dweam wiffin a dweam..."

Severus didn't even have to look at Albus to know that his eyes were twinkling away. _Quite proud of themselves, aren't they?_ Severus thought dryly. _Though I suppose some high spirits is to be expected. It hasn't been exactly easy for the two of us to get to this point, and yet, if I could get my hands on a Time Turner and if I could turn back time, I'd do it exactly the same way..._

* * *

Four Years Earlier 

Albus glanced up as Severus entered the Staff Lounge. "Well, now that we are all assembled, let's get started. I'd like to announce the newest addition to our staff. As you already know, we are in need of a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor since Professor Thomas left us at the end of term last year."

Severus just barely held back a snort. Fresh out of teacher's college, Dean Thomas had taken one of the two available positions at Hogwarts last year. Hermione Weasley had taken the other as the new Arithmancy professor. It had taken Dean all of two months to realize that he would rather be pulling pranks than handing out punishments for them. Out of respect for Albus he had stayed until the end of the year before leaving in favour of a job with the Weasley twins' joke shop.

"And so, I'd like to introduce you to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Harry Potter."

Severus stifled a groan as Harry walked through the door.

Hermione, on the other hand, jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Harry enveloping him in a huge hug. After which, she promptly slapped his arm.

"You told me you were going to teach at Beauxbatons!"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"We threw you a going away party!"

"I tried to get Ron to talk you out of it, but you were convinced that I needed one."

"Ron knew? What am I saying, of course Ron knew. When I get home, I'm going to-"

Severus had had about as much of this conversation as he could take. "Auror training didn't work out, Potter? Couldn't keep up, hmm?" he sneered.

"Actually," Harry replied calmly "I completed the first year of Auror training, but with Voldemort dead and most of his followers dead or in prison, there is very little for Aurors to do now. I decided I wanted to do something worthwhile with my life. What better way than to teach the next generation?"

Severus was taken aback. This was not the reply he had expected. He wasn't sure what he had expected. Perhaps he had expected Harry to blow up at him or to glare at him and ignore the question, like he used to as a student. Severus tried again:

"Wouldn't any Quidditch teams take you on? Lost some of you abilities, have you?"

Hermione bristled. "He's had offers from every team in Britain and quite a few from the Continent as well!"

"Quidditch is more of a hobby for me. Enjoyable, but I'm not sure that I could devote my life to it. No, teaching is my passion." Harry responded.

Severus was more than a little surprised. _Potter sounds like me, when I first started. Full of foolish hopes and useless optimism._ However, it would be a cold day in hell before he let the younger man know this.

"How idealistic," he smirked. "You'll be gone in a year, just like the rest." And with that, he got up and stalked out of the room.

Harry shook his head. "Some things never change."

End Chapter 1

**A/N1**: Dumbledore's speech is from the movie The Princess Bride which was based on the William Goldman's abridgement of S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure of the same name. It belongs to William Goldman and Columbia Tri-Star. I own nothing.

**A/N2**: So this was my first chapter of my first ever fan fic. Sorry it's so short; I'm still getting into the swing of writing. Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. But please, be gentle.


	2. Sunday, Bloody Sunday

**Disclaimer**: JK Rowling is the master of the universe and I bow down before her infinite wisdom. She and her various publishers and Warner Bros. own everything. All I own is my pride (and that's open to negotiation.)

**Pairings**: Harry/Severus and some others are mentioned

**Rating**: R (for future chapters)

**Spoilers**: All five books

**Warning**: This is a Snarry fan fic and is therefore, SLASH. If you don't like slash, feel free not to read any further.

**A/N: **Anything in italics denotes thought.

**Chapter 2 ï  Sunday, Bloody Sunday**

Severus was sitting at his desk in his office, making a few last minute changes to his lesson plans. He had been teaching for so many years now that he could re-use a lot of his lessons, but he liked to change them a little every year to keep up with improvements in the field, and also to prevent students with older siblings from cheating.

It was Sunday September 1st. _Sunday, bloody Sunday_, he thought wearily. The students would be arriving on the Hogwarts Express later this evening, and classes would begin tomorrow.

He grimaced at the thought. Another year of snot-nosed brats blowing up his laboratory, pulling pranks on one another, trying to break into his personal stores for their pathetic attempts at love potions, and generally annoying the hell out of him. Another year of grading the pathetic essays of the Hufflepuffs, and of having to sit through the detentions he was forced to hand out. Many students believed he liked giving out detentions, but they didn't realize that it was just as much of a punishment for him.

He thought back to his first few years at Hogwarts, when he had eagerly anticipated the start of each year. It has been another chance for him to change the world. _When did I become so jaded about teaching?_ he mused. _Just as well_, his mind argued, _Such hopes and dreams never caused anyone anything but disillusionment._

"I wonder how long it will take Potter to figure it out?" he whispered under his breath.

_Now where did that come from?_ Really, the younger man had the most annoying habit of popping into his head, unbidden, at the most unexpected times.

_Oh, come now, Snape. You can't really blame Potter for the fact that **you** are thinking about him_, a small voice in his mind whispered.

"Quiet, you." Snape muttered.

"Talking to yourself now, Severus?" Minerva McGonagall asked from the doorway. "That's never a good sign," she quipped, peering at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh! Minerva, I didn't hear you come in."

"No, I imagine your conversation with yourself was just too intriguing to be paying attention to anything as trivial as what's happening around you," she smirked.

The two professors were always going at each other like this. They both enjoyed the banter, and both had learned long ago not to take the other's jabs too seriously.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, feeling a trifle foolish.

"Just long enough to hear you tell yourself to be quiet. And I must say, many are the students who would have wished to hear **anyone** tell you to be quiet, let alone hear you say it to yourself."

"And I know just as many who would wish the same of you. In any event, please, have a seat," he offered, indicating the chair opposite his desk, "I'd rather not strain my neck looking up at you from where I'm sitting."

"Thank you Severus," she replied as she sat down, "I'm here on behalf of the staff."

"Oh?" He could tell where this was going, but decided to play it dumb.

"It seems I have been elected to speak to you about our newest addition."

"Now Miner-"

"Please," she cut him off, holding up her hand. "We know you two have had differences in the past. We don't expect you to become friends. You don't even have to talk to him. All we ask is that when you are forced to be around each other, you behave civilly. Or at the **very** least, don't show any **open** hostility towards him. This is for the peace of mind of the staff, and for the good of the children. It wouldn't do for them to see dissent in the ranks."

"Dissent in the ranks?" he echoed, incredulously. "You know, the war ended five years ago. Is you memory really getting that bad, Minerva?"

"You know what I mean."

"Very well," he sighed. "I suppose Potter is receiving the same lecture from either Hermione or Hagrid?"

"Both," she replied with a smile. "But I'm not sure that we needed to send both. 5 years ago, it would have been another story, but he seems to have matured a lot since his time here as a student. He's not the boy he once was."

"You could say that again" he replied. _What the hell? Where did that come from? Did I just say that out loud? Shite!_

Minerva's eyebrows shot up, but before she could respond, the bell rang. The students would be arriving soon.

"I suppose we'd best get up to the Great Hall and meet the newest lot of them," he said resignedly.

"Come now Severus, you and I both know that scaring the wits out of the first years tonight and tomorrow morning in class is the most fun you'll have all week."

They walked in companionable silence to the Great Hall. When the got there, most of the staff was already assembled. Hagrid was down at the train, meeting the students, but everyone else was there. Severus took his place at the table, while Minerva left to greet the first years before they entered the Hall. He gave a small sigh of relief at seeing that Potter had been seated at the other end of the table beside Hermione and Hagrid. Or was that a sigh of regret? _What? No. Of course not_, he dismissed the thought.

He looked at the raven-haired man. Outwardly, he looked cool and collected. The only hint of nervousness was in his emerald green eyes, which kept darting over everything, trying to take everything in, not wanting to miss a single detail. His hair was still in complete disarray, but he had grown it longer over the years, and now it looked like the messiness was done on purpose, as if it was a style of some sort.

_Why am I looking at Harry Potter, anyway?_ he admonished himself. He had better things to do than stand there gawking at Harry Bloody Potter.

The second to seventh years were filing into the Great Hall, chatting excitedly. Upon spotting Harry at the Head Table, the students invariably took one of two courses of action. Some fell silent and stopped dead in their tracks, staring in awe of the new professor, effectively blocking the entrance way for the rest of the students.

The more common response, however, was for the students to gasp and then chatter away even louder, causing to noise level in the Hall to rise dramatically. It wasn't surprising really. It wasn't everyday that the hero of the wizarding world became your teacher. Most of them knew from the tabloids that he was now qualified as a teacher, but like Hermione, the tabloids had been told that he had accepted a position at Beauxbaton.

Most of the students only recognized him from the pictures in the tabloids and in their History textbooks. The oldest of them had only been in second year when Harry had first defeated Lord Voldemort. In the five years since, he had become something of a legend.

Not many people knew the exact details of what had happened that night. Everyone had their own theories, but only Severus and Harry were the only ones still alive that knew _everything_ that had happened that night. Dumbledore, Hermione and the Weasleys were told almost everything, and the rest of the Order was given a summary. The rest of the world knew next to nothing.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" one rather exuberant 3 year Hufflepuff squealed.

The entire Hall burst into laughter and the girl blushed beet red. Snape had had enough. It wasn't that he was feeling protective of Harry, _(No, of course not!)_ but it simply wouldn't do to have the students worshipping a professor. He donned his most menacing glare (usually reserved for 1st years) and glowered at the girl. _This is going to be a long evening. No, this is going to be a long year._

End Chapter 2

**A/N1**: I do not own U2 or the song Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

**A/N2**: Sorry I took so long to put his up. I've been going a little crazy with school. It's also really short, but it was either post a short chapter now, or wait another month.


	3. We Don't Need Another Hero

**Disclaimer**: JK Rowling is the master of the universe and I bow down before her infinite wisdom. She and her various publishers and Warner Bros. own everything. Also, I do not own REM, the song "It's the End of the World As We Know It" or the titles of any of the chapters. Each belongs to their respective songwriter/recording artist/record label. All I own is my pride (and that's open to negotiation.)

**Pairings**: Harry/Severus and some others are mentioned

**Rating**: R

**Spoilers**: All five books

**Warning**: This is a Snarry fan fic and is therefore, SLASH. If you don't like slash, feel free not to read any further. **This scene has graphic description of torture. If you don't think you can handle this, please do not read.**

**A/N: **Anything in italics denotes thought.

**Chapter 3 -- We Don't Need Another Hero**

Once the blasted feast was over Severus Snape stalked back to his rooms to think. He had spent many years trying to forget about that horrible night, but with Harry back he was going to have to face his memories.

Harry's Final Year at Hogwarts

Ever since learning that his memory in the diary had possessed Ginny Weasley, Voldemort had spent years trying to reconnect with her mind. Four weeks before Harry's graduation, he succeeded. He spent those four weeks developing a plan.

Severus watched the End of Year Feast with carefully concealed glee. After tonight, Harry Potter would no longer be a problem. The boy would be out of the school for good and Severus would finally be able to relax. Of course, he'd still have to see him at Order meetings, but since Potter would no longer be at Hogwarts, they most likely wouldn't have any missions together. _Yes_, he thought, _things are definitely looking up_.

He surveyed the House Tables and noticed his godson, Draco, glowering across the room. Severus followed Draco's gaze and realized he was glowering at the sight of Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter chatting and laughing.

Severus smirked. Draco and Ginny had been desperately trying to hide their illicit relationship from everyone in the school. They were truly horrible at it and the staff was taking bets on how long it would be before one of the students figured it out. Fortunately for them, the students were too wrapped up in their own problems and affairs and had no idea. _The students are so dense that they could probably start snogging in the middle of the Great Hall before anyone figures it out_.

Suddenly, Ginny stood up, took Harry's hand and led a very surprised looking Harry out of the room. Severus watched as a series of emotions flickered across Draco's face: surprise, confusion, hurt, and finally anger. He quickly got up and stormed out after them. Most of the students were too absorbed in their own conversations to even notice anything had happened.

Severus was a little puzzled, Ginny had been acting strangely all day. _She's probably just upset because her friends and brother are leaving. She'll be the only Weasley left in the school,_ he reasoned and turned back to his meal.

A couple of minutes later Draco ran back into the Hall looking frightened. "Professor Snape!" he shouted. "You have to help me! They're gone! I have to find them. They disappeared!"

Draco now had the attention of the entire Hall. Severus thought he'd better get Draco out of the room before he caused a riot. "Mister Malfoy," he replied, "Cut the hysterics and I'll speak with you outside."

"But-"

"-Outside. Now, Mister Malfoy."

Though he couldn't show it, Severus was concerned. A Malfoy does not act like this. Draco knew better than to call attention to himself in such a way. Something was very wrong. As soon as they were outside the Great Hall Severus held up a hand to silence Draco and said "Calm down, and tell me exactly what you saw. Leave no detail out, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Also, do not embellish or draw any conclusions. Simply tell me what happened."

"Well," Draco began, "I saw Potter and Ginny talking together in the Great Hall and I was getting a little sick of it. Then Ginny took Potter by the hand to go somewhere more 'private'," he spat out the word. "I'd had as much of that crap as I was going to take. I followed them out to see what the hell was going on. Ginny is mine, and I'll be damned if Potter is going to take her from me!"

"Get back on topic, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well when I came out, Ginny and Potter were standing really close together and talking, but Ginny wasn't acting like herself."

"How so?" Severus asked. Though his facial expression remained the same, he was beginning to get a bad feeling.

"She was talking in a very low voice and then she showed Potter a bracelet that I've never seen her wear before. When he touched it they both disappeared! Sir, I think it was a portkey," Draco finished.

_Shit!_ was the only thing Severus could think of. It had to be the Dark Lord. _Why wasn't I informed of what was to happen?_ Just then, the mark on his arm began to burn. _FUCK! _He had to tell Dumbledore what had happened, but there wasn't time. He'd have to get Draco to do it, but could he trust him? He obviously had feelings for the girl, but his father was one of the Dark Lord's most trusted followers.

"Draco, listen very carefully. I need you to go and tell Professor Dumbledore exactly what you told me. Then tell him that 'It has begun'," and with that, Severus was off and running for the apparation point off grounds.

Draco stood there dumbstruck for a few moments. _Go to Dumbledore? Not a chance. Father would disown me. But what can I do? _He looked around feeling helpless before he remembered _The necklace!_

For Christmas last year, Draco had given Ginny a necklace. He had charmed it so that he could find her when ever he needed to talk to her. He quickly pulled out his own chain "Find Ginny!" he barked. The pendant pointed in a south westerly direction. He ran as fast as he could down to the dungeons, grabbed his broom, raced outside and took off to find Ginny.

Severus reached the apparation point, threw on his Death Eater mask and apparated to Voldemort. As we walked toward the clearing, he felt a strange tension in the air._ Something's wrong._ Only Voldemort and Lucius were present. _Where are the rest of the Death Eaters?_

Ginny was unconscious on the ground and Harry was standing of the side, obviously under the influence of the Petrificus Toatalus curse. His eyes though, seemed to be looking through Severus' mask, as if he knew who was underneath and was trying to warn him. _Of what? _After kissing the hem of Voldemort's robe, he straightened and walked to where he would normally stand in the Death Eater circle.

"Ah, the last member of our little group is here," hissed the Dark Lord.

"My Lord-" Severus began, but his question was cut off, left unasked.

"**CRUCIO**!"

Excruciating pain ripped through his body. The world around him exploded into flashes of colour behind his eyelids. It was so painful just to breath… maybe it would be better if he didn't breath anymore… and then the pain subsided.

"Stand up." He heard the order dimly, through a fog. He struggled to his knees and stayed there a moment, his vision winking in and out of blackness. After what seemed like hours, but could only have been a few seconds, he made it to his feet and tried desperately to blink away the blackness that was trying to overwhelm him once more.

"My Lord-" he tried again.

"**Petrificus Totalus**!" the Dark Lord shouted. "You betrayed me, Snape. You spied on me to help the muggle-loving fool! And so I think you shall suffer most of all. You will watch as your hero is broken. You will watch him weep and beg for death. You will watch as all of your hopes for salvation die with him. And then, you will die. Slowly. Knowing that you have failed and the world is now mine.

"But how will he be broken, you wonder?" he turned to face Harry. "He will watch as his friend is tortured over and over again. I will play with her until I am bored. Then she will be given to Lucius, to do as he pleases. When he is done with her she will be given to each Death Eater that I deem worthy. One by one they will be summoned and they shall each have their turn to enjoy her body, or to inflict pain. As you know Severus, some of my followers have some rather twisted appetites. But first, she is mine."

Severus watched as Ginny began to stir, trying to regain consciousness. _Please_, he thought, _Fall unconscious again. Don't wake up. _But his pleas were useless. He saw a single tear run down Harry's cheek. _Be strong boy_, he tried to will to Harry. _This is only the beginning and you will have to witness so much more._

Voldemort took Ginny's hand and one by one bent each finger back until popped and then made a small crunching sound. Ginny screamed in pain at each break. He then looked up at Severus and smiled coldly. "I think you'll enjoy this one, Snape. It was one of your favourites, I believe."

"**VOMICA!**"

The end of his wand glowed red. He ran his wand along Ginny's arms and the skin began to blister and create boils. If he paused on a certain spot, the blisters popped and blood oozed out. Ginny's eyes searched the world around her in terror, but couldn't seem to focus on anything. She was pleading for help and begging for mercy, but there was no one who could help.

This went on for an hour, Voldemort alternated between the Cruciatus and some of the more imaginative curses he could come up with. Every time Ginny drifted into unconsciousness, Voldemort whispered an incantation to wake her up again.

Finally, Voldemort grew tired of his game. He turned to Lucius, "Would you like a turn?"

"You honour me, my Lord," Lucius replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus thought he saw movement, like something falling out of the sky. _Or someone landing their broom? No, it's hopeless. All is lost and no one is coming to help._

Lucius turned to look at Harry. "Have you ever taken a woman before? I'm betting you haven't. Watch and you might learn something. Not that you'll live long enough to use the knowledge," he sneered.

"No," came a deathly cold voice just out of Severus' sight on the left. Lucius' head whipped around to find his son stepping out of the forest, his wand pointed directly at Lucius' heart. "You will not touch her," came Draco's steely voice again.

"Son? How did you get here? What is this? Put that wand away."

"You will not touch her, Father," Draco repeated. "I love her and she is mine."

"Draco, put that wand away. We don't need another hero. We already have Dumbledore's Golden Boy over there. Stop acting like a fool. Love doesn't exist. Women are meant for our pleasure and to bear our children, nothing else." He turned back to Ginny. "You'll see that she's a whore like all the rest after the Death Eaters and I take her."

"I have no father," Draco whispered. "**AVADA KEDAVRA**!"

"**NO!!!**" Voldemort screamed in rage as Lucius was hit in the back by the green beam of light and crumpled to the ground. He whirled around to face Draco. "You cost me my best Death Eater!" he seethed.

"**Petrificus Totalus**!" Voldemort shouted. "You will die, but first you will see how useless your pathetic attempts to save her were." He pointed his wand at Ginny and shouted "**AVADA KEDAVRA**!" He twisted back to Draco "She is dead. Now you can join her. **AVADA KEDAVRA**!"

At this point, something inside Harry snapped. So many people had died because of this thing before him. His parents, Cedric, Sirius, Draco, Ginny…it would end now. A power began to build inside of him. It was not anger that grew, but love. Love of those who were gone, love of those left to mourn, love those yet to be born. Love of Human Life. Voldemort would not cause anymore pain.

Severus watched as Harry began to glow. Then a sphere of light burst from Harry's chest. It hurtled through the air straight at the Dark Lord. This pure and unadulterated ball of love hit Voldemort in the chest. Time slowed. There was a clap of thunder and Voldemort disappeared in a flash of darkness. It was the opposite of lightning, it was the complete absence of light. Time regained it's usual pace and Harry and Severus could move again. Harry fell to the ground exhausted.

It was then that Severus noticed that the bodies of Ginny and Draco had disappeared with Voldemort. Unbeknownst to him, all around the world, the bodies of all of the Dark Lord's victims were disappearing out of their coffins and crypts.

Harry was on the ground crying. Without thinking, Severus went over to him and held him. He rocked back and forth, murmuring soothing words until Harry calmed down. Suddenly, both of them were very aware of each other and they broke apart at the same time. Not quite able to meet Harry's eyes, Severus got up and dragged Lucius' body over to Harry and apparated them all back to Hogwarts.

When they got back they had an unspoken agreement to only tell what was necessary. The press was told only that Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort, but Ginny and Draco had fallen in the process. The order was given a brief outline of what happened. The Weasley's and Hermione were told most of it, but they left out the torture of Ginny. They told them that she had died quickly and painlessly. Dumbledore was told everything except for how Severus comforted Harry after the battle. Only Harry and Severus knew everything that happened.

Everyone tried to cope and move on with their lives as best they could. Ron and Hermione turned to each and finally admitted to their feelings for each other. Within a year they were married. Molly threw herself into the wedding preparations and forced everyone else in the family to join in. Harry withdrew from his friends. He still hung out with them, but the closeness that was once there disappeared. Severus took all of the memories from that night and locked them in a little box in the back of his mind so he wouldn't have to deal with any feelings. But now Harry was at Hogwarts, serving as a daily reminder of what really happened that night.

**End Chapter 3**

**A/N1**: I do not own Tina Turner or the song "We Don't Need Another Hero".

**A/N2**: Vomica -- ulcer, sore, boil /plague, curse (sorry for the really bad translations)

**A/N3**: Sorry this took so long! I know that you don't want to hear any excuses, but I've been crazy busy with school and work. I finally finished all of my exams yesterday, so this is the first chance I've had to work on it. At least it's longer than my other chapters, right?

**A/N4**: Thank you to Gin, Rachel Whitmore, jbcna, FallenPhoenix721, evilharrygoodness, Lady Jillyan Malfoy-Potter, lil-harry-hobo, Seket-Ninstuku-Anubis' Br, walker-of-the-shadow-path, Layce74, Miki23, Amanda Saitou, and drarrysev for reviewing!


	4. I Think We're Alone Now

**Disclaimer**: JK Rowling is the master of the universe and I bow down before her infinite wisdom. She and her various publishers and Warner Bros. own everything. Also, I do not own REM, the song "It's the End of the World As We Know It" or the titles of any of the chapters. Each belongs to their respective songwriter/recording artist/record label. All I own is my pride (and that's open to negotiation.)

**Pairings**: Harry/Severus and some others are mentioned

**Rating**: R

**Spoilers**: All five books

**Warning**: This is a Snarry fan fic and is therefore, SLASH. If you don't like slash, feel free not to read any further.

**A/N: **Anything in italics denotes thought.

**Chapter 4 – I Think We're Alone Now**

_A girl was screaming. It was Ginny. Why wouldn't she stop? She was joined by another, a masculine voice. Then another voice joined, and another, until there were hundreds of voices screaming in pain. It hurt to listen. Please Stop! He couldn't take all the suffering. They just grew louder. He couldn't get away from the screaming. Maybe it wouldn't hurt anymore if he were dead…_

Severus woke with a start. Where was he? It took a minute to gain his bearings. He was in his armchair in his private sitting room. Why had he fallen asleep here? Why hadn't he cleared his mind before sleeping? Slowly, the events of the day came back to him. The talk with Minerva, the students arriving, the interminably long Welcoming Feast, brooding over his brandy about the events of that fateful night, 5 years ago.

He looked over at the table beside the chair. At least he had set the brandy down before he fell asleep. He would not have been happy to wake up drenched in wasted brandy. He hadn't prepared for bed as he usually did and had not cleared his mind before sleep. As always when this happened, he had the nightmare.

_Great, now Potter is affecting my sleep! _he thought angrily. _If Potter hadn't come here, I wouldn't have been thinking of the night Voldemort was vanquished. I wouldn't have fallen asleep in my chair without first clearing my mind and I wouldn't have had that nightmare. I wouldn't have this terrible crick in my neck from sleeping upright. But that describes Potter perfectly, doesn't it? A pain in my neck._

That small voice answered him again, _Is it really Harry's fault, or are you just upset with yourself for letting him get to you?_

Severus firmly pushed this thought aside and started to pace. "This is ridiculous," he mused aloud. "I'm having the nightmare again. I do not have nightmares anymore. How old am I? 12? I stopped the nightmare years ago! How could I be so stupid to forget to clear my mind tonight? Well, it's Potter's fault for coming back, and if I can't sleep, neither will he!"

With that, Severus threw on some clothes and stalked out of his rooms to wake Harry up. But on the way from the dungeons to the Gryffindor tower he began to have doubts and second thoughts.

_No,_ he thought. _I will not be frightened of talking to Harry Bloody Potter!_

He finally reached Harry's rooms and began pounding on the door. Within moments a very sleepy Harry opened the door.

"What is it? What's wrong? Who's in trouble?" he asked. It took a moment to realize who it was at the door. "Oh. What do you want, Snape?"

"We need to talk." Severus replied.

"You dragged me out of bed, and scared the wits out of me by pounding on the door of my rooms like a madman, at 2:30 in the morning, just so we could have a little chat?" he asked incredulously. "I know you don't want me here, but I didn't think you'd stoop to sleep deprivation techniques just to get me to leave."

"We need to talk." Severus repeated.

Harry glanced over his shoulder. "Fine, but not here. You'd wake Oliver. It's a miracle he isn't awake already. Meet me in the Staff Lounge in 10 minutes."

Without a word Severus turned on his heel and strode off towards the staff lounge. _So he and Oliver are back together again are they? That's interesting._ Severus tried to ignore the strange feeling that that information gave him. _Also interesting is the fact that Potter obviously sleeps in his boxers…_ _Stop that_, he mentally admonished. _You're not interested_. Still there was no denying that Harry Potter was an attractive man and he looked quite good standing in the doorway in his boxers and his sleep tousled hair. As he grew up, Harry began to look less and less like his father. He had longer face and he was more muscular than his father had been. He had also gotten rid of those awful glasses once Hermione discovered a vision correcting spell. _I wouldn't mind waking up next to that-_

Before Severus could finish his thought, Harry walked into the staff lounge, now fully dressed and looking somewhat more awake.

"Well, I think we're alone now," Harry stated. Would you mind telling me what was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

"We need to talk about what happened **that** night."

"Oh," Harry sighed. "So we're going to be here for a while. In that case, I'll make some coffee. Do you want some?"

"Coffee? No. How can you drink that stuff?"

"What?" Harry asked.

"Coffee tastes like garbage. Why don't you drink tea like a normal, civilised person? Or is that too much to ask of the great hero, Harry Potter?"

"Look, I don't have to be here. I came here to be nice, in the hopes that we could reach some sort of truce. I do not need you insulting me or my choices. I don't even know why I bothered coming. You obviously haven't changed." Harry started walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Severus called out. "Stay. You make your coffee, I'll make some tea and we'll talk." Severus desperately tried to keep the pleading sound out of his voice.

Harry knew this was the closest thing to an apology he would get. _Snape must be really distressed to go even this far. _"Fine, I'm already up, so I might as well stay." They each made their drinks and settled into a couple of armchairs in the corner.

"So why do you want to go back to that night?" Harry asked.

"We are the only two people that know everything that happened that night. With you gone and out of my life I have been able to block out that night from my mind. Your return has brought back some rather unpleasant memories."

"You mean Ginny." Harry stated.

"Yes."

"I still hear her screams sometimes," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Severus frowned. "You mean that you can still remember hearing her screams, right?"

"No. I mean I have a dream where I can hear her screaming again. And then her voice is joined by Draco, and then someone else-"

"-And then another, until there are hundreds of voices and you feel like your ears are going to explode. Just when you think you will die from the pain, you wake up." Severus finished.

"You get them too?"

Severus nodded. "It's always the same, never anything different. If I clear my mind before bed, I'm fine. If I forget, the nightmare comes."

What do you think it means?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Severus sighed. "I thought it was just my subconscious acting out, but it you are having it too, it must mean something more."

"Why would we both have the same nightmare? It doesn't make any sense." Harry wondered aloud.

Severus sat in quiet contemplation before answering. "Perhaps because we were there at the Dark Lord's end. Perhaps the souls of his victims are trying to contact us."

"You think that they aren't at peace?"

"It's possible. Their bodies vanished with him. Maybe they need us to set their souls free."

"Even in his death he manages to cause suffering. Why can't he just leave us alone?" Harry shook his head in disgust. "So how do we free the souls of his victims?"

"I don't know, yet. We need to do some research. I'll check the library at Snape manor and I'll contact some people I know who might be able to help. You should check the library here and at 12 Grimmauld Place. If nothing else, the mutt left you a great library."

Harry ignored the slur against Sirius. Arguing would get them nowhere and might end this frail peace they had created. He had more important things to do right now than fight with Snape over past feuds. The souls of his parents, his friends, and countless others needed help.

**End Chapter 4**

**A/N1:** I do not own the song "I Think We're Alone Now" or Tiffany. (Sorry for the slightly misleading title!)

**A/N2**: So there it is. I've given up on writing long chapters, so don't expect anything too long. Also, Ms Rowling has placed a deadline on this fic. It would appear that I have until July 16th to finish this before she changes the canon on me. I guess it's time for me to pick up the pace.

**A/N3**: Thank you to jbcna, lillenfields, Ruth, CassaAndra, Amanda Saitou, Ditzy1978, princessgreta, drarrysev, Beth5572 for reviewing!


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